Kazlauskas trims Lithuania roster

VILNIUS (EuroBasket 2015) - Lithuania coach Jonas Kazlauskas has reduced the preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2015 to 18 players, less than a month before the start of the team's preparations.

The updated list is a mix of veterans and youngsters, with five players below the age of 23.

Jonas Valanciunas of the Toronto Raptors, who used an MVP winning performance for Lithuania at the 2011 FIBA U19 World Championship as a springboard to the senior team that same year, headlines the younger generation

Valanciunas shone for the Lithuanians last summer at the FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Included on the 18-man list is Domantas Sabonis, 19, who is coming off a strong first season with Gonzaga in American college basketball.

Sabonis had played substantial minutes for Unicaja Malaga in Spain and the Turkish Airlines Euroleague before opting to leave for the United States.

He has so far not suited up for the senior national team.

Sabonis, whose father Arvydas is in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and the FIBA Hall of Fame, is right now playing for Lithuania at the U20 European Championship in Italy, which commenced on Tuesday.

The two older players on Lithuania's preliminary roster are veteran big men Darjus Lavrinovic and Robertas Javtokas, each now a few months shy of his 36th birthday.

Some players have been ruled out from the original 25-man list announced two months ago because of injury.

"Basketball is a sport in which it is difficult to avoid injuries," Kazlauskas said.

"You need to focus not on what could have been, but on finding the way to victory."

I think the team will be as strong as always - Kazlauskas

Martynas Pocius, who missed several games with Galatasaray in both the Turkish TBL and the Euroleague due to minor injuries, was on the original list but will not take part and instead will rest.

The 29-year-old winger informed the Lithuanian coaching staff he needed to recuperate this summer.

Linas Kleiza of EA7 Emporio Armani Milano is also not included.

He had delivered some impressive performances to help Lithuania clinch silver at EuroBasket 2013 and was included in the All-Tournament Team but skipped the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain.

Lithuania will play their first two warm-up games against Australia, on 29 July in Klaipeda and 31 July in Siauliai.

The team will take on Finland, Austria, Turkey, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (MKD) and Croatia.

Lithuania are in Group D at EuroBasket 2015 and will take on Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Ukraine and Latvia in Riga.

Lithuania preliminary squad for EuroBasket 2015: Deividas Gailius, Rokas Giedraitis, Arturas Gudaitis, Zygimantas Janavicius, Paulius Jankunas, Robertas Javtokas, Adas Juskevicius, Mantas Kalnietis, Antanas Kavaliauskas, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Darjus Lavrinovic, Lukas Lekavicius, Jonas Maciulis, Arturas Milaknis, Marius Runkauskas, Domantas Sabonis, Renaldas Seibutis and Jonas Valanciunas.

Go to eurobasket2015.org for complete coverage of EuroBasket 2015.

FIBA